Seattle. 22nd May 2019 – Bitcoin ATM operator Coinme has rolled out its BTC purchasing option to 21 US states and the District of Columbia. People can now buy the digital currency with cash, by visiting a kiosk located inside such retailers as Albertsons, Jewel, Safeway, Shaw’s and Save Mart. There are now more than 2,200 kiosks via Coinme’s partnership with Coinstar. “Bitcoin and other digital currencies offer unique benefits to consumers, including the potential for more cost-effective and faster remittances to family and friends,” says Neil Bergquist, Co-founder, and CEO. “We’re thrilled to team up with Coinstar to make Bitcoin more accessible to consumers than ever before and offer a key component for the new digital currency economy.” Users The post Coinme and Coinstar give Bitcoin a boost Stateside appeared first on Coin Rivet.

Glenhill Capital Advisors, which said it owns about 1% of Smart & Final, argues that the sale -- supported by the company’s majority shareholder, Ares Management Corp. -- disregards the opinions of minority holders that won’t get to vote on it. “I urge all minority stockholders not to tender into the offer,” Glenhill Capital principal and portfolio manager Glenn Krevlin said Wednesday in a letter to Smart & Final’s board that was reviewed by Bloomberg.

Slovenia's third largest bank Abanka will pay out 66.7 million euros ($74.54 million) in dividends to its sole owner, the Slovenian state, the bank said on Friday, ahead of its expected sale in the coming weeks. It also said it will give its art collection, which has a book value of some 216,000 euros, to the state-owned National Gallery in Ljubljana. The government plans to sell Abanka by the end of June.

Funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC (APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”), a leading global alternative investment manager, announced the commencement of a cash tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Smart & Final Stores, Inc. (SFS) (“Smart & Final”). The tender offer is being made pursuant to the merger agreement (the “Merger Agreement”) announced by Apollo and Smart & Final on April 16, 2019, under which First Street Merger Sub, Inc. will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Smart & Final’s common stock for $6.50 per share, net to the holders thereof, payable in cash, without interest and less any applicable tax withholding.

West Corporation (“West” or the “Company”), a global leader in technology-enabled services, will host its annual Word-of-Mouth Digital Summit, a virtual event to share best practices, trends and strategies among thousands of digital marketers, business executives and customer experience experts on May 15 and 16, 2019. This free, two-day summit will be held entirely online with 15 sessions spanning topics from customer reviews to referral, affiliate, influencer, and partner marketing. “Word-of-mouth marketing has become a trusted way to engage today’s buyers.

French glass bottle maker Verallia, controlled by buyout group Apollo, is stepping up preparations for its initial public offering later this year, sources close to the matter said. BNP Paribas, Citi and Deutsche Bank have been mandated as global coordinators of the deal, which may value Verallia at around 4.5 billion euros ($5 billion) euros including debt, they said. Verallia last month confirmed plans to list on Euronext Paris this year.

Apollo is hoping the move, which will take effect in the third quarter of the year, will boost its share price, which has traded at a discount to traditional asset managers such as BlackRock Inc for close to a decade. Peers KKR & Co Inc and Ares Management Corp announced last year they would also make the switch. Blackstone Group LP, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, said last month it would convert from a partnership to a corporation.

Indigo Partners and Lufthansa are among the likely bidders for Thomas Cook's airline business, with a deadline of May 7 set for expressions of interest, sources said. The heavily indebted British travel group put its profitable airline business up for sale in February after profit warnings in 2018 left it needing to raise cash. Thomas Cook's airlines business consists of Germany's Condor, as well as British, Scandinavian and Spanish operations.

Apollo Global Management, LLC (APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”) today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019. “We are pleased to announce that Apollo has decided to convert from a publicly traded partnership to a corporation, which we believe will simplify our structure and enable a much broader set of shareholders to participate in the exceptional long-term growth and profitability that we have been delivering to our investors. Since Apollo’s initial public offering in 2011, our assets under management have grown by 20% and our fee-related earnings have grown by 22% on a compound annual basis.

Meredith is discussing its plans with financial advisers and has already received interest in its stations from private equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC, the sources said. A deal could potentially value Meredith's 17 stations at more than $2 billion, the sources said.

French glass bottle maker Verallia said it was considering a stock market flotation in Paris this year, confirming an earlier Reuters exclusive, in what could be one of the biggest market listings on the market for this year. Verallia also reported on Tuesday higher first quarter results. Reuters reported earlier that buyout group Apollo was preparing Verallia for a stock market listing later this year, in what could become one of the largest French initial public offerings of the year.

The private equity firms are among bidders who have moved into the next round of the auction after other parties including CVC Capital Partners and Apax Partners dropped out, said the people, who asked not to be identified because discussions are private. Representatives for Bain, Apollo, CVC and Apax declined to comment.